Social Classes in New Lordaeron
The social structure of Lordaeron originally came from Arathor approximately 1500 years ago when the kingdom was founded; however, because it was formed by the aristocracy departing the capital of Strom---central political power was diffused between lords and barons. It was only after 200 years that the monarchy of Lordaeron became the powerhouse it was known to be at the coming of the Age of Chaos. The Aristocracy Total authority is no longer invested in one individual, it is spread out between nine leaders of the kingdoms most power aristocratic dynasties (and one Hearthglen representative). The leaders of these dynasties along with their direct family members, or in some cases adopted wards, are known as the "aristocracy" collectively. The term refers overall political power held by the dynasty or "House", but not its economic power. It does not mean the aristocratic Houses possess more wealth than other families that are not considered to be within the aristocracy. The Gentry In New Lordaeron, the socioeconomic upper-class is referred to as the gentry. Economically, aristocratic families are considered to be "the ruling gentry". Barons and other large-scale land and estate owners are referred to as "the landed gentry". In old Lordaeron the term was often used for members of the upper class that held no tie or an indirect tie to the houses of nobility. Men within the gentry were once referred to as "gentlemen"; however, the use of this term has fallen out of use in New Lordaeron. Newholders Before the coming of the Age of Chaos, the possession of land was considered to be the true measure of any persons wealth. However, after the Great Wars and the destruction of so much land from the Plague, wealth began to be measured in precious metals---food could be bought from lands unaffected by blight---it could not be safely grown until 28 and 29 AC. This gave more power to the people that could import food; therefore money was valued over useless land. As a result, innovative and opportunistic merchants and business owners rose up through their acquisition of wealth. Even after the land was restore, the old system could no longer halt these people from entering the upper classes. This group of the has become known as "the newmen" or newholders". The Pursers Old Lordaeron's middle class (known as "pursers") comprised only about 2% to 5% of the population at various times. Typically, members of these classes were highly skilled laborers such as artisans, skilled masons/sculptors, coopers, vintners, and smiths. Sometimes the class consisted of people that had received a minimal education, but had chosen to further it through opportunities sponsored by the gentry. These people rose to become barristers, librarians, scribes, clergymen, magistrates, and merchants. Non-gentry landholders would eventually be included in the middle class around 500 BAC when the King of Lordaeron proclaimed that barons could portion off a quarter of their lands to be sold “deedfull” (as in they surrendered all claim to a land parcel). Before 500 BAC, no one could own land in the kingdom because it all belonged to the king, in theory---he merely gave it out to the barons in exchange for their fealty. After 500 BAC, the landowning peasantry grew in their prosperity until the word "freeholders" was given to categorize their place in Lordaeron society. By the time of New Lordaeron's emergence, the devaluation of land and increase in the worth of silver and gold set the stage for a stronger currency based economy---a place favorable to merchants; whom, time has told, are the foundation for a strong middle class. It took time for positions unrelated to the military to be fully reintroduced until 31 AC. Most of New Lordaeron's middle class members are referred to as "pursers" collectively because they tend to carry coin purses. Other terms for pursers include "warders", "freeholders", "townkind", or "townfolk". The word "warders" is typically used to describe someone serving in a public role: stewards, bailiffs, sheriffs, selectmen, haywards, military officers, reeves, harvest wardens, etc. The use of the word "freeholder" can be a reference to rural pursers collectively since the individual freeholder owns their own farm and rarely come into cities or towns---therefore, making them a common rural sight. Citizens are officially classified as freeholders when baron sells them a "virgate" (a land grant of 30 to 60 acres) in exchange for a three-lives-contract or if a they are a citizen in possession of 18 to 140 acres of farmland. The term "Townfolk" and "Townkind" is used to refer to any purser in a town or city; however, the word "townfolk" is often used by the lower classes and "townkind" is used by the upper. The Yeomanry In Lordaeron, the yeoman were people that belonged to the upper end of the lower class. Traditionally, they were considered a subgroup within the peasantry of old Lordaeron; however, when New Lordaeron adopted the muster-system of militias, the yeomanry became an official classification for peasants that owned their horses or possessed 5 to 17 acres of lands. During the Assembly of Lords' 21st Sessions, Lord Geoffrey Brambleward spearheaded the passage of a law to restricted the seizure of land belonging to the yeomanry to barons after several of New Lordaeron's barons took land from their tenants to cover debts. There would be forty-nine laws passed through the Assembly and Directory to regulate the relationship between the easily exploited yeomanry by their barons. The yeoman distinction plays an important role for rural boroughs, as it helps to assign duties for the yeomanry's militia members. Some of New Lordaeron's boroughs such as Northdale, Hearthglen, and Darrowmere require all yeomen to be members of their militia. Horse-owning yeomanry were to serve in light cavalry regiments and non-horse owning militia were to serve as longbow archers or pikemen. The Peasants After the Second War, the peasantry of Lordaeron slowly began to gain additional rights and protections under the law. After the Third War, when the class system broke down, there were no peasants or nobles or gentry. It was only after New Lordaeron was founded that the concept returned; however, it was no longer defined by heritage. A peasant could rise to be a yeoman or even a noble in the new nation. Unlike in the old kingdom, peasants hold a say in the election of their town leaders and borough councils. They are even permitted to hold public office themselves. Presently, the class of peasant tends to be based upon the occupation or service contracts that person has. There are four classifications of peasants in New Lordaeron based upon those aspects: Free Peasant A free peasant or "freeman" is a traveling laborer, typically working on farms during autumn and spring and logging camps during winter. They are not bond to any lord or master so they are rarely included in militia levies. If they are bond to a lord, it is merely a seasonal contract. In return for their service, a free peasant will receive temporary lodging and a stipend. The majority of free peasants are young males trying to see a bit of the world before "naming their bond" (an archaic phrase referring to when a peasant with no lord would pledge fealty to one). Shortly after the New Lordaeron Civil War, the Council of Headmen pushed the Assembly of Lords to pass a regulation for the minimum wage of a free peasant. The measure sent the minimum wage at fourteen silver crests a day. Landed Labor Peasant Land Labor Peasants, or "ad opus peasants", are bound to a landowning lord or baron that have received a parcel of land from them to be "rented". In exchange for the land, the peasant is required to work own his landlord's personal estate throughout the year---primarily during the brief Lordaeron planting season. Depending on the landlord, these peasants might be directed to cultivate various crops and any food needs provided by the landowner. One of the early laws of the Assembly listed the protection of ad opus peasants as historically these peasants had been the most easily exploited by vile landowners. This form of peasantry is common in the the lowlands of the Alterac Province and the fiefs around both Hearthglen and Stratholme. Copperpeasant The copperpeasant, or an "ad censum" peasant, would be bound to a landowner and pay to use a portion of the land and cultivate it however they choose. Lodgings of copperpeasants on the rented land are subject to annual fees even if the structure was built by the peasant. Regulations in the Blackwood, Northdale, and Havenshire Boroughs forbid these additional charges. However, landowners get around this by heaping these fees on building permits and any rent increases. Every year, each borough sets a minimum rental cost for a single acre in various regions. As New Lordaeron's landowners become adjusted to a cash-based economy (contrary to the old kingdom land-based economy) the use of ad censum peasantry has become commonplace. This practice is the majority practice in the Hearthglen and Corin's Crossing Boroughs. Bond Peasant A bond peasant, or a "bondsman" as they are commonly known, is the traditional form of peasantry throughout the human nations. During the first year of New Lordaeron's existence, this sort of peasantry no longer existed until Lord Hestein Mohrgan required all peasants in the East Darrowmere Borough to be bondsmen. Peasants of this sort enjoy the smallest amount of freedom. A landowner that uses bondsmen divides his estate amongst his bondsmen and requiring them to cultivate and harvest the land. Large landowners divide vast swathes of land into large territories called a "manorial appanages" that were to be overseen by "Wardens of the Harvest". These wardens would then divide their appanages amongst bondsmen. The bondsmen would provide up to eighty percent of their crop yield to their landowner. The Assembly of Lords mandated in Year 30 AC that the masters of bondsmen were responsible for the health and welfare of their bondsmen---meaning that a landowner is responsible under the law for their bondsmen and their families to be sheltered, clothed, and well-nourished. So far, there have been eighteen landowners brought up on criminal charges for neglect of their bondsmen in the history of New Lordaeron---all of them from the old borough of East Darrowmere. Category:Society